Kolkata: Voting began on Wednesday, April 29, in 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, amid unprecedented security arrangements and a high-stakes contest that could decide whether the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) retains its dominance over southern districts or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can force open the gates of power in the state.
Polling started at 7 am with voters lining up outside booths across Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman — districts that together form the political and electoral core of the state.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round shifts the battle squarely to the TMC’s strongest belt. In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the Indian Secular Front (ISF).
That arithmetic explains why the BJP has treated this phase as its real test. Without breaching south Bengal, there is little route to power in the state.
At the centre of the contest is Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s political bastion, where she faces Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in a prestige battle seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where he had defeated her in 2021.
A total of 3.21 crore electors, including 1.57 crore women and 792 third-gender voters, are eligible to cast their votes in this phase. Polling is being held at 41,001 stations, all of which are under webcasting surveillance. The Election Commission has deployed 2,321 companies of central forces across seven districts, with Kolkata receiving the highest deployment of 273 companies.
Follow live updates below:
5:47 pm: At 5 pm, Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 89.99 per cent, as per ECI data.
5:15 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the central forces, deployed for assembly polls, were working in favour of the BJP and claimed that the ongoing state elections were not being conducted in a free and fair manner. She also accused the forces of harassing voters and TMC workers across several constituencies.
“The central forces are torturing common people. It is like brutalising the democracy. Is this an example of free and fair polls?” she asked.
4:29 pm: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC candidate from Bhabanipur, Mamata Banerjee, cast her vote at the Mitra Institute polling booth. Soon after, she told reporters she is confident of her party’s victory. “Victory is here and Trinamool is winning,” she said.
She also called out the CRPF for violence against TMC supporters. “They are beating people; they have not even spared women and children. Since last night, they have started atrocities. How many of our people have they taken into custody? This is contempt of court, I have never seen such democracy,” she said.
4:17 pm: Voters at the second phase of the Bengal elections
3:53 pm: BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal alleged that TMC polling agents tried to assault her in Kolkata’s Entally constituency when she objected to crowding inside the booth.
“In a small room where polling was taking place, there were six TMC polling agents and one each from BJP, CPI(M), Congress and an Independent. Along with them, there were five polling staff members, making the room very crowded. They were practically sitting on the EVM, and there was no privacy for voters,” she claimed.
3:49 pm: According to the latest ECI data, Bengal has registered a voter turnout of 78.68 per cent till 3 pm, with several regions crossing the 75 per cent mark and some more than 80 per cent.
- Hooghly – 80.77%
- Howrah – 77.73 per cent
- Kolkata North – 78.00 per cent
- Kolkata South – 75.38 per cent
- Nadia – 79.79 per cent
- North 24 Parganas – 77.39 per cent
- Purba Bardhaman – 83.11 per cent
- South 24 Parganas – 76.75 per cent
3:44 pm: Chandra Kumar Bose, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew, shows his ink-marked finger after casting a vote.
3:42 pm: After allegations of EVM tampering and reports of violence in the Falta Assembly constituency, the Election Commission of India (ECI) sought a report on the incident. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya has demanded a repoll
3:21 pm: Bhabanipur BJP candidate and Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari told reporters some “Bangladeshi-origin Muslims” raised slogans after seeing him and called them “outsiders.”
“Mamata’s hooligans attacked me in Booth No 217. They are not genuine voters. They are from outside. They shouted Joy Bangla for around 15 minutes. But the people’s mandate is in the BJP’s favour,” he said.
When asked whether the 2021 Nandigram result would be repeated in Bhabanipur, Adhikari said he would reveal the margin after polling ended at 6 pm.
3:10 pm: Tension erupted at a polling booth in Panihati after a blot of ink was found on the button bearing the BJP symbol, allegedly making it illegible. The booth is in the constituency where the mother of the RG Kar victim, Ratna Debnath, is contesting as a BJP candidate.
After objections were raised, the ink mark was removed using sanitiser. Locals reportedly waited for nearly an hour during the disruption. Later, TMC workers gathered outside the booth and allegedly got into an altercation with Jay Saha, chief election agent of BJP candidate Ratna Debnath.
3:05 pm: TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh shows her ink-marked finger after she casts her vote during the second and final phase of the West Bengal elections
3:02 pm: TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose alleged that women and children were lathi-charged by central forces. She shared a video where villagers question the CRPF officer over the assault.
“A CHILD. UNACCEPTABLE. ‘Singham’ thokshahi cops must be hauled before the law,” she posted on X sharing videos of the incident and showing injuries to a child.
2:06 pm: Voters in Ketugram in Purba Bardhaman district spotted crude bombs located around 200 metres from a polling booth. On information, police cordoned off the area.
1:51 pm: West Bengal logged 61.11 per cent of voter turnout till 1 pm in the second phase. Purba Bardhaman constituency recorded the highest with 66.80 per cent. Voting has been progressing peacefully amid elaborate security arrangements, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
1:38 pm: Iskcon monks wait in a queue to cast their votes.
1:33 pm: A clash broke out between supporters of the TMC and Indian Secular Front (ISF) chief Naushad Siddique at booths 233 and 234 in Pranganj area of Bhangar. He alleged that TMC workers were trying to influence voters around 100 metres from the polling booth. He said he had asked central force personnel deployed at the spot to intervene. “Voting is going on peacefully. TMC is absolutely rattled… People could not vote in the 2023 Panchayat Elections, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and now when people are finally voting, they will vote against TMC and in our favour.”
1:25 pm: BJP candidate from Bhabanipur and Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, chants “Hindu Hindu bhai bhai” and “Jai Shri Ram” as he leaves the polling booth. The incident prompted police intervention and a complaint by the opposition leader to the EC seeking deployment of additional central forces.
12:35 pm: A clash broke out between TMC and Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters over allegations of appointing fake polling agents. The incident happened at Booth No. 147 in Ramchandrapur under Rajhati-1 Panchayat in Khanakul.
12:27 pm: BJP’s Panihati candidate Ratna Debnath, also the mother of RG Kar rape-murder victim, cast her vote in Sodepur in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district and said women’s safety is her top priority. She exuded confidence that people would vote for a regime change and free West Bengal from “the misrule of TMC.” She has been fielded against Tirtankar Ghosh, the son of sitting TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh, and CPIM’s Kalatan Dasgupta.
She alleged that TMC supporters on motorbikes used abusive language against her for using her daughter’s name to seek sympathy votes. “They said I was doing business in my daughter’s name. They misbehaved with me and said that they would see me on 4th May. I complained to the police and demanded their arrest, but the police asked me to leave the spot. I asked them to allow my Chief Election Agent to be with me, but they did not allow it. After I complained at the police station, they came and removed all the TMC workers who were present there,” she said.
12:06 pm: Special police observer Ajay Pal Sharma on Wednesday toured West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, keeping vigil on the polling process during the second phase of Assembly elections, officials said.
Sharma, a Uttar Pradesh-cadre IPS officer currently posted as Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in Prayagraj, had drawn political controversy over his proactive measures in the Diamond Harbour area, considered the stronghold of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, over the past two days to prevent intimidation and violence.
Eyewitness accounts claimed Sharma was heard warning potential troublemakers of “appropriate treatment” if they tried to disrupt polling in the state, and had even landed up at the doorstep of the Falta assembly segment’s TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, and said authorities would take “firm and immediate steps” if there were reports of voter intimidation.
12:01 pm: Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign if the BJP loses the West Bengal Assembly elections to the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
In a video message, O’Brien claimed that Modi had projected himself as the BJP’s face across all 294 Assembly seats in the state and dared him to accept the challenge.
“You yourself announced that you are the candidate in all 294 seats in Bengal. Stop making tall claims and accept this challenge. On May 4, when Mamata Banerjee and the TMC win Bengal, have the courage to resign from the post of PM,” the TMC MP said.
11:50 am: West Bengal has recorded 39.97 per cent voter turnout till 11 am in the second phase of polling to 142 Assembly seats, the Election Commission said.
11:47 am: In Bhangar, Kolkata Police has intensified surveillance using drones to prevent any untoward incidents.
Senior officers, including Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Subhankar Sinha and Rupesh Kumar, are closely monitoring the situation to ensure law and order is maintained, officials said.
11:34 am: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday morning landed in the same polling booth area in Bhabanipur’s Chakraberia and took swipes at one another without any direct interaction or exchange of courtesies.
The incident took place in ward number 70 of Chakraberia, where Banerjee was already seated outside after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders. However, they did not come face-to-face.
While Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to “rig” the election using central forces, police observers and election officials, Adhikari dismissed her allegations as signs of “frustration,” claiming the Chief Minister had realised that “not a single vote” was coming her way.
11:19 am: BJP candidate from the Basanti Assembly constituency, Bikash Sardar, alleged Trinamool Congress workers attacked his car. “TMC is throwing their goons everywhere in the constituency. Around 200 to 250 TMC goons attacked my car with rods and bamboo sticks. They also attacked my driver,” he said.
11:15 am: BJP president Nitin Nabin voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a “thumping majority.”
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, “The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority.”
11:08 am: West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya cast his vote at a booth in Bidhannagar.
On the other hand, TMC MP Saugata Roy cast his vote in a polling booth in Parivarikee English Academy in Kolkata. “I just cast my vote. The voting is going on peacefully. Trinamool Congress will do very well as this place is TMC’s stronghold. The Election Commission is confused about the election process. People revolted against SIR and the harassment,” he told news agency ANI.
11:01 am: BJP candidate Arjun Singh alleged there was a fake EVM machine in a polling booth. “100 metres from the polling booth, a camp has been set up and a fake EVM has been placed. People are being told which button to press. They cannot campaign today… I am filing a complaint with the Election Commission. There is no point in complaining to the police,” he told PTI.
10:47 am: West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said all Hindus are voting for the BJP. Adhikari inspected polling stations in the Bhabanipur Assembly seat and also offered prayers at the Hanuman temple.
He is taking on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur in a high-profile contest, who has held the seat for the past 15 years.
10:34 am: Voters in North 24 Parganas alleged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was threatening them. One of the voters told PTI, “She thinks that she has lost in the elections, which is why she has brought goons in her car. One of the persons came out of her car and threatened us.”
10:25 am: A total of 18.39 per cent of 3.21 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of West Bengal assembly elections, a senior EC official told PTI.
Till 9 am, Purba Bardhaman district recorded the highest turnout at 20.86 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 20.16 per cent, he said. Nadia recorded 18.5 per cent turnout, followed by North 24 Parganas (17.81 per cent), Kolkata Uttar (17.28 per cent), South 24 Parganas (17.25 per cent), and Kolkata Dakshin (16.81 per cent), he said.
“Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned,” he added.
10:07 am: Voting in Baranagar’s Ward no 72 has been halted due to a malfunction in an electronic voting machine (EVM). Angry voters alleged that the machine had been changed five times and still the voting process hadn’t begun.
“We have been standing in line since 7 am. They are saying that the EVMs are malfunctioning. Now, we are going back,” one voter, Mithu Garai, told PTI.
9:56 am: Rain lashes parts of Kolkata as the second phase of voting is underway for the state Assembly elections.
9:51 am: West Bengal records 18.39 per cent turnout till 9 am in the second phase of polling in 142 Assembly seats, said the Election Commission.
9:41 am: Elderly voters cast their vote in across West Bengal during the second phase of assembly polls in the state.
9:17 am: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress candidate from Bhabanipur Mamata Banerjee, said a lot of election observers have come from outside the state. “Whatever the BJP says, they are doing. Votes will be cast by voters, not by the police or security forces. Some new people have recently been brought in, and they are doing whatever they want. They are doing terrorism,” she said.
Banerjee was present outside a polling station in Chakraberia Sarbojanin, Bhabanipur.
9:07 am: Actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty cast his vote at booth 248 in Kashipur-Belgachhia Assembly constituency.
After coming out of the polling booth, he said, “Like any ordinary person, I did not ask for any extra facility, nothing at all… I can guarantee that the voting will be conducted properly, and I thank the Election Commission for making this possible. I am very sure that this election will go well.”
8:57 am: Incidents of violence and vandalism were reported from parts of West Bengal during the early hours of voting in the second phase of the Assembly elections on Wednesday, police said.
The incidents were reported from multiple locations, including Chapra, Shantipur, Nimtala and Bhangar, they said. BJP polling agent Mosharef Mir was allegedly assaulted by “miscreants linked to the ruling TMC” at booth number 53 in Chapra in Nadia district, party leaders said.
In Shantipur, a BJP camp office in ward number 16 was found vandalised on Wednesday morning, with furniture smashed, triggering tension in the area, police said. In Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, allegations surfaced that an ISF agent was prevented from entering a polling booth, sparking unrest.
Voting was delayed at booth number 140 in Nimtala, where polling had not begun even by 7.30 am, leading to tension among voters.
Meanwhile, police issued a warning to Kartik Banerjee, brother of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as well as TMC workers, who gathered close to a polling booth, stating that no more than four people would be allowed to gather at a spot, officials said.
8:48 am: All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee cast his vote at Mitra Institute in Bhawanipur, Kolkata. After exercising his franchise, he shows his inked finger and a victory sign.
“Election observers are supposed to act as the eyes and ears of the Election Commission and submit reports to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the EC, after which the EC decides what should be done. But instead, they are going around in different ways, threatening and intimidating people.”
“The way police observers have been behaving is concerning. The Constitution, the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure), the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) or any Election Commission guideline does not give them the mandate to conduct raids. They are flouting the guidelines laid down by the High Court, the Supreme Court and even the Election Commission’s own observers’ handbook, trying to exceed their brief and mandate. They appear to be acting at the behest of their political masters sitting in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. However, none of these tactics will work,” he told news agency PTI.
8:41 am: Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, in a post on X, asked voters to “free West Bengal from the misrule of fear, syndicates, and corruption.” He appealed to voters to vote in record numbers.
“Only a government with a clear direction for development and the firm resolve to take strict action against infiltrators can realise the dreams of Bengal’s youth. Vote in record numbers for building Sonar Bangla,” he said.
8:28 am: Among other key constituencies going to polls on Wednesday are Kolkata Port, where Firhad Hakim is in the fray, besides Bhatpara, Jagatdal, Barrackpore, Bangaon, Dum Dum, Sandeshkhali, Ranaghat Uttar and Dakshin, Rashbehari, Jadavpur and Ballygunge.
8:26 am: BJP candidate from Entally, Priyanka Tibrewal, got into a heated argument with polling officers and security personnel at a Kolkata booth after her polling agent was asked to leave, citing space constraints. A TMC election agent joined the dispute shortly after, and both were subsequently escorted out.
8:13 am: BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty exercised his franchise at Subhokhon Community Hall in Belgachia.
Meanwhile, monks of the ISKCON chant “Hare Krishna” and sing bhajans as they cast their votes.
8:01 am: A group of nuns arrive at St Mary’s Church School in Kolkata to exercise their franchise.
7:47 am: A BJP agent at a booth in Nadia alleged he was attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters. A video showed him bleeding from his forehead.
7:44 am: TMC MP Mahua Moitra casts her vote at Karimpur Girls High School polling station in Nadia. “What we saw in the first phase, and what we are likely to see today, is something I would describe as ‘revenge voting’… We expect to see strong voter turnout throughout the day… We have never seen an election like this before. While voting is usually a celebration of democracy, this time it feels like a form of military rule,” she said.
Meanwhile, Long queues were seen at polling booths as central forces patrol the Bharati Vidya Bhavan School polling station, Bidhannagar, North 24 Parganas.
7:33 am: The mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim and BJP candidate from Panihati seat, Ratna Debnath, casts her vote at a polling booth. “We will win, we will get justice. People will vote for us,” she said before heading to the polling booth.
The victim’s father, Sekharranjan Debnath, also cast his vote. “It’s very sad that we have to resort to this method to get justice for our girl. But we will win and get justice for our daughter… We are with the public,” he said.
7:27 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, urged voters to come out and vote in large numbers. “It is important that the women and youth of West Bengal, in particular, turnout in large numbers and exercise their franchise,” he said.
The first phase on April 23 had recorded a turnout of 93.19 per cent — the highest ever in the state.
7:14 am: The most contentious issue of this phase remains the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Large-scale deletions in south Bengal districts have kept the issue politically volatile — over 12.6 lakh names in North 24 Parganas, 10.91 lakh in South 24 Parganas and nearly 6.97 lakh in Kolkata alone.
In at least 25 constituencies, the number of deleted names is higher than the previous victory margin. At the same time, 1,468 people whose names were restored following SIR-linked tribunal orders will be able to vote on Wednesday.
7:11 am: People line up at polling booths across south Bengal to vote.
